Global Mental Health and Counseling Psychology

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Read more about PsyD professor Dr. Mary Burke, named one of Pittsburgh's best professors in the September 2014 issue of Pittsburgh Magazine

Students interested in working internationally may participate in programming designed to provide training in the social, political, and psychological issues impacting a particular country or region. Students may work with faculty to develop such a training experience or they may join in current faculty led international projects.

Current International Opportunities

UgandaDoctoral students can participate in a number of ways in the collaborative work being done by Ugandan citizens and Carlow faculty and students.

Initiative 1: Counseling, Trauma and Special Education TrainingDescription: This initiative is being carried out through Carlow University faculty and graduate students who are providing ongoing training to teachers and caregivers who serve orphaned and disabled youth. The work is being undertaken in a number of regions through collaboration with school administrators, legislators, parent support groups, the Ugandan Ministry of Education and the Director of Bright Kids Uganda - an orphanage currently serving 90 children who have been abandoned or lost parents due to HIV/AIDS or war.

Initiative 2:Human trafficking Uganda: Community-based collaboration in support of prevention of trafficking and survivor identification. Description: This initiative is being carried out through The Project to End Human Trafficking of Carlow University in collaboration with the Uganda government and citizens. Two regions were identified as the initial focus of the work of this project; the Mukono District and Soroti. Overarching goals are to increase the extent to which citizens are able to decrease vulnerability to trafficking by 1) increasing regional awareness about the issue, 2) increasing self-sufficiency and 3) increasing accessibility of school, especially for girls.

Initiative 3:Strengthening Community Resources in the Village of SorotiDescription: This initiative is being carried out in collaboration with Advocacy for Vulnerable Children’s Rights. Primary goals of the initiative are to 1) increase access to education for vulnerable children in Soroti, 2) increase ease of access to food and water, 3) increase ease of access to health care and 4) decrease vulnerability to human trafficking. The primary focus at this time is the building of a school, the foundation of which was completed in June 2014 with the hands-on assistance of Carlow faculty and students.

Initiative 4:Domestic Violence Collaboration – Teso Region UgandaDescription: This initiative is being carried out with Carlow faculty and doctoral students in collaboration with Advocacy for Vulnerable Children’s Rights (AVCR). According to annual crime statistics by the Uganda Police, domestic violence and sexually related offences account for a significant proportion of complaints received by law enforcement. Those studying or otherwise interested in this social problem attribute domestic violence in the country (most notably violence against women) to culture and tradition. The Uganda government struggles to provide an infrastructure to meet the needs of its citizens which means that not unlike many societies, change must begin at the grassroots level. Collaboratively established goals include 1) mobilizing and engaging community members (e.g., women, men, local institutions and policy makers in the region) to collaboratively determine how they may be involved in creating a movement in their region to promote more safe and equitable relationships, 2) provide psychoeducation through a series of ongoing lectures and discussion groups about safe relationships/gender violence, 3) create and implement an advertising campaign (through the very popular use of radio) about the dangers of gender violence and 4) to create a Uganda-culture specific school-based curriculum to propose to regional schools.

IrelandThis three-week program designed jointly by faculty from Carlow University and St. Angela’s College in Sligo, Ireland, is characterized by exposure to a different culture through educational outings and an international field experience.

Students learn about the mental health system in Ireland and about the content and process of service delivery to those with special needs. In addition, students explore issues related to diversity and social justice within the Irish culture and how they relate to psychosocial functioning and mental health. Doctoral student provide weekly one-on-one supervision to masters and undergraduate students completing field placements in Sligo. In addition, students receive weekly group supervision of their work. The course includes readings that are to be completed prior to departure, full participation in activities in Ireland and a major paper or project.